It bears remembering that the head of the Smithsonian
came from big business, and this may be nothing more
than an encroachment from those with money and an
agenda to conscript all forms of "government" to be a
part of that agenda.
--- Mark Janzen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Apparently not.
>
> Being somewhat more critical and often reactionary
> than some of my
> colleagues, I would have to say it is more than
> simply shameful or
> factually ill-advised. It is simultaneously
> horrifying, and disgusting, and
> yet strangely not surprising. Of course, I reside in
> Kansas, whose
> thoroughly rotten philosophical core leads to such
> activities on a daily
> basis, so I have become unfortunately accustomed to
> such incredible
> short-sightedness.
>
> The farce that is "intelligent design" speaks, or
> rather fails abjectly to
> speak, for itself, and one would think that the
> Smithsonian crew would see
> that it is far more than a standard favor for a
> donor. Then again, you
> might also think it would occur to them to wonder
> why such an organization
> would donate money to the Smithsonian in the first
> place, given that it
> rejects everything for which the National Museum of
> Natural History stands.
> Perhaps to gain a soapbox for their point of view
> from a respected
> position, which they hope will undermine the
> validity of the purpose of
> that very position? Didn't we have a discussion
> about this recently
> concerning a Smithsonian researcher using his
> influence improperly to plant
> an ID paper in a scientific journal? Coincidence? I
> doubt it.
>
> The most interesting thing about the whole topic to
> me, given that I read
> about it every week in my local paper, is that the
> "discussion" or the
> "battleground", if you will, is completely one
> sided. Scientists and anyone
> intelligent enough to grasp the concept of evolution
> do not waste much time
> defending their position, because there is nothing
> to defend against. The
> central concern is that the majority of our
> population is "challenged"
> enough to accept belief in whatever they are told,
> and especially whatever
> they are told the most often, rather like an urban
> myth gotten out of hand.
> Since it is the ID proponents who are currently
> speaking the loudest and
> most fervently, irrespective of the scientific or
> philosophical validity of
> their beliefs, many will be swayed into foolishness
> whether or not they can
> understand evolutionary theory.
>
> Where it really stabs home for me is the undermining
> of the education of
> our children, which is already problematic enough. I
> give adults the
> benefit of the doubt that they are capable of making
> their own decisions,
> whether or not I agree with their conclusions. But
> children should not be
> forced into this arena until they have the freedom
> and capacity to
> understand what is being proposed and counter
> proposed.
>
> All the above should be considered my personal and
> biased opinion, which
> has nothing to do with my institution or the public
> opinion of the State of
> Kansas.
>
> Mark Janzen
> Registrar/Collections Manager
> Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art
> Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection
> Wichita State University
> (316)978-5850
>
>
>
>
> martin weiss
>
> <mweiss@NYSCIENCE
>
> .ORG>
> To
> Sent by: Museum
> [log in to unmask]
> discussion list
> cc
> <[log in to unmask]
>
> SE.LSOFT.COM>
> Subject
> Smithsonian
> to Co Sponsor
> Intelligent
> Design Movie
> 05/28/2005 02:58
>
> PM
>
>
>
>
>
> Please respond to
>
> Museum discussion
>
> list
>
> <[log in to unmask]
>
> SE.LSOFT.COM>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mr Kremer, and Smithsonian, have you no
> shame!
>
>
>
> May 28, 2005
> Smithsonian to Screen a Movie That Makes a Case
> Against Evolution
> By JOHN SCHWARTZ
> Fossils at the Smithsonian Institution's National
> Museum of Natural History
> have been used to prove the theory of evolution.
> Next month the museum will
> play host to a film intended to undercut evolution.
> The Discovery Institute, a group in Seattle that
> supports an alternative
> theory, "intelligent design," is announcing on its
> Web site that it and the
> director of the museum "are happy to announce the
> national premiere and
> private evening reception" on June 23 for the movie,
> "The Privileged
> Planet: The Search for Purpose in the Universe."
> The film is a documentary based on a 2004 book by
> Guillermo Gonzalez, an
> assistant professor of astronomy at Iowa State
> University, and Jay W.
> Richards, a vice president of the Discovery
> Institute, that makes the case
> for the hand of a creator in the design of Earth and
> the universe.
> News of the Discovery Institute's announcement
> appeared on a blog
> maintained by Denyse O'Leary, a proponent of the
> intelligent design theory,
> who called it "a stunning development." But a museum
> spokesman, Randall
> Kremer, said the event should not be taken as
> support for the views
> expressed in the film. "It is incorrect for anyone
> to infer that we are
> somehow endorsing the video or the content of the
> video," he said.
> The museum, he said, offers its Baird Auditorium to
> many organizations and
> corporations in return for contributions - in the
> case of the Discovery
> Institute, $16,000.
> When the language of the Discovery Institute's Web
> site was read to him,
> with its suggestion of support, Mr. Kremer said,
> "We'll have to look into
> that."
> He added, "We're happy to receive this contribution
> from the Discovery
> Institute to further our scientific research."
> The president of the Discovery Institute, Bruce
> Chapman, said his
> organization approached the museum through its
> public relations company and
> the museum staff asked to see the film. "They said
> that they liked it very
> much - and not only would they have the event at the
> museum, but they said
> they would co-sponsor it," he recalled. "That was
> their suggestion. Of
> course we're delighted."
> Mr. Kremer said he heard about the event only on
> Thursday. He added that
> staff members viewed the film before approving the
> event to make sure that
> it complied with the museum's policy, which states
> that "events of a
> religious or partisan political nature" are not
> permitted, along with
> personal events such as weddings, or fund-raisers,
> raffles and cash bars.
> It also states that "all events at the National
> Museum of Natural History
> are co-sponsored by the museum."
> Evolution has become a major battleground in the
> culture wars, with bitter
> debates in legislatures and school boards, national
> parks and museums.
> Although Charles Darwin's theory is widely viewed as
> having been proved by
> fossil records and modern biological phenomena, it
> is challenged by those
> who say that it is flawed and that alternatives need
> to be taught.
> When asked whether the announcement on the Discovery
> Institute's Web site
> meant to imply that the museum supports the film and
> the event, Mr. Chapman
> replied:
> "We are not implying in any sense that they endorsed
> the content, but they
> are co-sponsoring it, and we are delighted. We're
> not claiming anything
> more than that. They certainly didn't say, 'We're
> really warming up to
> intelligent design, and therefore we're going to
> sponsor this.' "
>
> * Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
> Home Privacy Policy
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> --
>
> Martin Weiss, Ph.D
> Vice President, Science
> New York Hall of Science
> 47-01 111 th Street
> Corona, New York 11368
> 718 699 0005 x 356
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